Luncheon of the Boating Party - My Wife Loves It!
May 27th, 2009 by jwarner2
Luncheon of the Boating Party
Imagining the banks of the Seine in the thick of la vie moderne, Vreeland (Girl in Hyacinth Blue) tracks Auguste Renoir as he conceives, plans and paints the 1880 masterpiece that gives her vivid fourth novel its title. Renoir, then 39, pays the rent on his Montmartre garret by painting overbred society women in their fussy parlors, but, goaded by negative criticism from Émile Zola, he dreams of doing a breakout work. On July 20, the daughter of a resort innkeeper close to Paris suggests that Auguste paint from the restaurants terrace. The party of 13 subjects Renoir puts together (with difficulty) eventually spends several Sundays drinking and flirting under the spell of the painters brush. Renoir, who declares, I only want to paint women I love, falls desperately for his newest models, while trying to win his last subject back from her rich fiancé. But Auguste and his friends only have two months to catch the light he wants and fend off charges that he and his fellow Impressionists see the world through rose-colored glasses. Vreeland achieves a detailed and surprising group portrait, individualized and immediate. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From
Author of the previous hit Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Susan Vreeland comes through with another compelling historical novel centered on artists and their work. Critics agree that the concept (tracing Renoirs steps back from this joyous painting) and the research (combining facts not only about Renoirs inner circle but also details about French café society, culture, and painting techniques) demonstrate considerable skill and dedication. The Seattle Times even calls Luncheon this summers most satisfying historical novel. Others find that Vreeland gets too bogged down in historical detail, which slows the plot and sometimes creates a strained narrative. Despite this perhaps overabundance of historical material, Luncheon succeeds as a portrait of both a man and an era.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Why Buy A Luncheon of the Boating Party?
A vivid exploration of one of the most beloved Renoir paintings in the world, “done with a flourish worthy of Renoir himself” (USA Today)
With her richly textured novels, Susan Vreeland has offered pioneering portraits of artists’ lives. Now, as she did in Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Vreeland once again focuses on a single painting—Auguste Renoir’s instantly recognizable masterpiece, which depicts a gathering of Renoir’s real friends enjoying a summer Sunday on a café terrace along the Seine. Narrated by Renoir and seven of the models, the novel illuminates the gusto, hedonism, and art of the era. With a gorgeous palette of vibrant, captivating characters, Vreeland paints their lives, loves, losses, and triumphs so vividly that “the painting literally comes alive” (The Boston Globe).
Customer Reviews & Opinions
Luncheon of the Boating Party
This is one of my favorite books! Vreeland is an excellent writer. I bought more to share with my friends and to sell in my gift shop. I have a print copy of Luncheon of the Boating party hangin in my restaurant.
Art as love
What goes through an artist’s mind while creating a painting? Susan Vreeland makes that question the theme of Luncheon of the Boating Party. Generally agreed to be one of Renoir’s masterpieces, Luncheon is a huge canvas depicting fourteen people enjoying a repast at an inn along the River Seine. Renoir is depicted at the pivotal point in his career when he was struggling to decide whether to persist with the impressionist genre , or to incorporate more formal techniques and styles. Provoked by a critical comment from Emile Zola, he embarks upon a quest to produce a work to serve as the definitive rebuttal.Vreeland immerses her readers within the heart of Montmartre and the romantic Parisian ideal of “modern life”. A joyous commingling of street scenes and cafe society, artists and models, dealers and yachtsmen, Luncheon is an earthy, incandescent evocation of one of the art world’s most momentous eras. Enjoy!
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